INTRODUCTION

GENEALOGY

OF THE

SMEDLEY FAMILY.

A STUDY of the migrations of the human race is worthy of our attention, even when we are not directly concerned, and when the movements of our progenitors are under consideration we should take a lively interest in all the details. The repeopling of the New by colonists from the Old World has been of the most momentous importance to us, and, whether in its immediate or remote results, deserves more than a passing thought. Perhaps, in the ordering of creation, the world is destined to witness successive waves of civilization and race migration, following the course of the sun, and crowding out the older, more stagnant and less energetic forms. It might be supposed that those individuals who invade new fields possessed more than the average of energy, yet, on the other hand, the struggle for existence in the older centres might be expected to develop those qualities essential to the perpetuation of the race.

In these days of rapid strides it seems almost strange that for more than a hundred years after the discovery of America there were no successful attempts at colonization, except in the tropical or sub-tropical regions. The first English colony was established at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, and the second at Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620. The Dutch settled at New Amsterdam, now New York, in 1626, and the Swedes on the Delaware in 1638; but the latter colony did not flourish and their occupation extended little beyond tide-water. They had for rivals the Dutch, who claimed the territory on the South River, as they styled the Delaware, and finally, in 1655, overthrew the Swedish rule here. Little attempt was made at colonization, however, and New Amsterdam having been captured by the English, in 1664, its dependency on the South River naturally fell to the victors. A temporary possession was again obtained by the Dutch, in 1673-4, but this had little influence on the colonial life in what is now Pennsylvania.

Up to this period but few Englishmen had sought permanent homes on the Delaware, and these had doubtless been connected with the military occupation of the country and found wives among the Swedes or Dutch. Such was the case with James Sandilands, of Upland, now Chester, who married the daughter of Jurian Keen, a Swede. The commerce of the river was insignificant and vessels seldom arrived, so that a highway of immigration could scarcely be said to exist.

King Charles II. had granted to his brother James, Duke of York, the territory now embraced in the states of New Jersey and Delaware, even before it had been wrested from the Dutch, and the Duke had conveyed what is now New Jersey to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. The Society of Friends, or Quakers, founded in England by the teachings of George Fox, about 1654, had suffered much persecution, and were looking toward the New World as an asylum. In 1673 John Fenwick, one of their number, as trustee of Edward Byllinge, purchased the interest of Lord Berkeley, which, by a division agreed upon with Sir George Carteret, formed the province of West New Jersey. There was an understanding by which Fenwick was to have one-tenth of the province, and in 1675 he led a colony of Friends who formed a settlement at Salem. Disputes arose between Fenwick and Byllinge, which by the kind intervention of William Penn were at length adjusted, and Byllinge conveyed his nine-tenths of the province to William Penn, Gawen Lawrie and Nicholas Lucas, for the benefit of his creditors. These divided the ownership into one hundred shares or "proprieties," for which they found purchasers among Friends in Yorkshire and others in London. Certain "Conditions and Concessions" were agreed upon between the trustees and purchasers for the government of the colony, and in 1677 the ship Kent arrived with 230 passengers, who formed a settlement at Burlington. Other ships arrived in 1678 and 1679, and the success of the colony was assured. Some who thus came as settlers in New Jersey crossed over to the western shore of the Delaware, where courts had been established among the Swedes and Dutch, at New Castle and Upland, and prominent among these was Robert Wade, at the latter place.

It was, perhaps, by his association with the affairs of the province of New Jersey that William Penn's attention was drawn to the establishment of a colony to the westward of the Delaware, and on the 4th of March, 1680 (1681, N. S.), he obtained from Charles II. a charter for that object. This was granted partly in consideration of a debt from the Crown to Admiral Sir William Penn, deceased, father of the grantee. The latter would have called the province Sylvania, but the king insisted on the prefix "Penn," and on April 2, 1681, issued a proclamation directing the inhabitants of the said province to yield all due obedience to William Penn, his heirs and assigns, as absolute proprietaries and governors thereof. On April 10th Penn commissioned his cousin, William Markham, deputy-governor of the colony, the government thereof having been previously exercised at New York, at which place Markham had arrived June 21st, on his way to the Delaware. William Penn issued a prospectus in regard to the disposal of lands in Pennsylvania to such as designed to remove thither, and also prepared certain "Conditions and Concessions," prescribing rules for the survey and settlement thereof, treatment of the Indians, and other matters, probably preliminary to a frame of government. These consisted of twenty articles, of which the first seven relate especially to the taking up of the land, as follows:

I. That so soon as it pleaseth God that the above persons arrive there, a certain quantity of land or ground plat shall be laid out for a large town or city, in the most convenient place upon the river for health and navigation; and every purchaser and adventurer shall, by lot, have so much land therein as will answer to the proportion which he hath bought or taken up upon rent. But it is to be noted, that the surveyors shall consider what roads or highways will be necessary to the cities, towns, or through the lands. Great roads from city to city not to contain less than forty feet in breadth, shall be first laid out and declared to be for highways, before the dividend of acres be laid out for the purchaser, and the like observation to be had for the streets in the towns and cities, that there may be convenient roads and streets preserved, not to be encroached upon by any planter or builder, that none may build irregularly, to the damage of another. In this custom governs.

II. That the land in the town be laid out together, after the proportion of ten thousand acres of the whole country; that is, two hundred acres, if the place will bear it; however, that the proportion be by lot, and entire, so as those that desire to be together, especially those that are by the catalogue laid together, may be so laid together both in the town and country.

III. That when the country lots are laid out, every purchaser, from one thousand to ten thousand acres, or more, not to have above one thousand acres together, unless in three years they plant a family upon every thousand acres, but that all such as purchase together, lie together, and if as many as comply with this condition, that the whole be laid out together.

IV. That where any number of purchasers, more or less, whose number of acres amounts to five or ten thousand acres, desire to sit together in a lot or township, they shall have their lot or township cast together, in such places as have convenient harbours, or navigable rivers attending it, if such can be found; and in case any one or more purchasers plant not according to agreement in this concession, to the prejudice of others of the same township, upon complaint thereof made to the governor or his deputy, with assistance, they may award (if they see cause) that the complaining purchaser may, paying the survey-money, and the purchasemoney, and interest thereof, be entitled, enrolled, and lawfully invested in the lands so not seated.

V. That the proportion of lands that shall be laid out in the first great town or city, for every purchaser, shall be after the proportion of ten acres for every five hundred acres purchased, if the place will allow it.

VI. That notwithstanding there be no mention made in the several deeds made to the purchaser, yet the said William Penn does accord and declare, that all rivers, rivulets, woods and underwoods, waters, water-courses, quarries, mines and minerals (except mines-royal), shall be freely and fully enjoyed, and wholly by the purchasers into whose lot they fall.

VII. That for every fifty acres that shall be allotted to a servant at the end of his service his quit-rent shall be two shillings per annum, and the master or owner of the servant, when he shall take up the other fifty acres, his quit-rent shall be four shillings by the year, or if the master of the servant (by reason in the indentures he is so obliged to do) allot out to the servant fifty acres in his own division, the said master shall have, on demand, allotted him from the governor the one hundred acres at the chief rent of six shillings per annum.

The incidental manner in which allusion is made to the granting of fifty acres to servants and the like quantity to their masters, at a small rent, indicates that it was a colonial custom not peculiar to Pennsylvania.

Finding that by a strict construction of his charter the southern boundary of his province would strike the Delaware river above the mouth of the Schuylkill, Penn purchased, August 20, 1682, from the Duke of York, a circle of twelve miles around New Castle, and the remainder of the territory now forming the State of Delaware, by deed of August 24, 1682. On the 30th of the same month he sailed for Pennsylvania, in the ship Welcome, with about one hundred passengers, and arrived at New Castle, in the Delaware, on the 27th of October following. Prior to leaving England, on the 22d of 3d mo. (May), 1682, he forwarded a list of persons to whom he had sold unlocated lands in Pennsylvania to the amount of more than 500,000 acres, in order that the same might be surveyed. The Swedes and other settlers in possession at the date of William Penn's charter were, of course, undisturbed.

The method of conveyance in use at that day, and for many years afterward, was by lease and release; the lease placing the purchaser in possession, and the release, dated the day following, divested the former owner of all right and title to the property. After the survey of the land it was expected that each owner would obtain a patent, giving a description thereof by metes and bounds; but there was considerable neglect in this respect, or if obtained they failed to be placed upon record. Whether William Penn actually signed many of the deeds of lease and release is uncertain, but an examination of some of them shows that his name was placed thereon by his secretary by the use of a stamp. In the list above mentioned the names were grouped together in purchases to the amount of 10,000 acres, which seems to indicate an intention of placing each group in a separate township. This was found to be impracticable, however, and there was great irregularity in the shapes of surveys and townships.

Prior to the arrival of William Penn the settled part of the province was known as Upland County, with the seat of justice at Upland, now Chester, where courts had been held at least from 1676. "A letter addressed to Ephraim Herman, in respect to summoning a Court to be held at New Castle on the 2d of November, and dated at Upland on the 29th of October, shows that William Penn had then arrived at his seat of government. He may have arrived the day before. The fancy of the artist has portrayed the landing of Penn at Upland; but neither the hour, the day, nor the manner of his landing, is certainly known." Dr. George Smith, in the History of Delaware County, continuing and quoting from Clarkson, says:

"He landed at Upland, but the place was to bear that familiar name no more forever. Without reflection Penn determined that the name of the place should be changed. Turning round to his friend Pearson, one of his own Society, who had accompanied him in the ship Welcome, he said. 'Providence has brought us here safe. Thou hast been the companion of my perils. What wilt thou that I should call this place?' Pearson said 'Chester,' in remembrance of the city from whence he came. William Penn replied that it should be called Chester, and that when he divided the land into counties one of them should be called by the same name. Thus, from a mere whim the name of the oldest town, the name of the whole settled part of the province, the name that would naturally have a place in the affections of a large majority of the inhabitants of the new province, was effaced to gratify the caprice or vanity of a friend."

The division of the province into the three counties of Chester, Philadelphia and Bucks probably occurred within a month of this time, but the boundaries were not very definite at first.